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SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING
rTTwVMHftlWfcli
VOLUME IX. No. 32
DULUTH, MINNESOTA, DECEMBER 25, 1920.
Copyright, 1920, by
SklllinKs' Mining; Review.
INDEPENDENT IRON ORE
OPERATORS TO CURTAIL
PRODUCTION THIS WINTER.
SCATTERING WAGE CUTS
All of the independent iron mining companies of the Lake Superior district are going
to curtail production this winter, and that will
mean that there will be decreased forces employed. Some mines will be closed down for
the winter, or until such time as conditions encourage resumption. As to the wage question,
there has been no general action. There have
been scattering announcements of reductions,
and it is expected that there will be others.
The curtailment of production, and the decrease of wages, are done with regret and only
when conditions make them necessary.
The operations of the independent iron and
steel companies are on a basis ranging from
40 to 60% furnace capacity. The average is
probably about 50%. Wages are being adjusted downward in the operations of the independent iron and steel industry, and it is expected that they cannot fail to be reflected
back to the mines. The iron miners of the
Lake Superior district have enjoyed high
wages for a long time. The wages have been
in advance of increased prices for ore as a rule.
There is every prospect that decreased costs
commodities will offset any general reduction
that may be made in miners' wages, so that
the loss will be more apparent than real. It is
hoped, and believed, by students of the situation in iron and steel, that there will be much
improvement by next spring.
Clement K. Quinn, Earl E. Hunner, Edward
J. Maney, Francis J. Webb and others have recently returned from the East. They agree
that the present outlook in the iron and steel
business is far from encouraging, but all take
a hopeful view of the outlook. Mr. Quinn
observes that stocks of iron and steel are low
and there is an apparent world shortage. Mr.
Maney is convinced the industry will recover
in a reasonably short time, with general improvement in business and industry. Mr.
Hunner regards the situation as bad, but one
that will be corrected in large measure with a
completion of the readjustment process now in
progress. Mr. Webb is hopeful that the next
few months will develop a much more cheerful
outlook.
H. S. Wollan, assistant general superintendent of the Great Northern, in charge of ore
traffic, has returned from the East, and says
that while it is the present outlook that the
ore movement will start out slow next spring,
that he would not be surprised to see the last
half of the season very active. This recalls
that it has often happened that the first half
of a season may be dull and the ore movement
slow, but the last half witnesses a rush of ore.
On the other hand, a season may start off with
a rush, and slow up around July, and continue
dull until the end. While many agree that
the ore movement next spring will be slow,
there are no predictions as yet that the entire
season will be without redeeming feature.
MICHIGAN MINERS TO VERMILION.
The Oliver Iron Mining company has given
employment to 50 of the miners recently laid
off in the copper country. These men have
been assigned to the mines at Ely, Vermilion
range, where the company was short of underground miners.
MECHANICAL DETAIL OF MARION 300 TON
ELECTRIC DRAGLINE AT THE WABIGON MINE
Great Machine Is Attracting Wide Attention While Engaged at Stripping Very Difficult Material—Its Performance Gives Promise of Proving That This Machine Is
Very Economical and Type to Operate in Overburden Such as Encountered at
This Property—This Description of the Mechanical Side of the Marion 300 Is
Sequel to the Electrical Description Oct. 2.
The Marion 300 Electric Dragline recently
installed by the Hanna Ore Mining Company
at its Wabigon mine near Buhl, Minn., is attracting more than ordinary attention. It has
been working steadily and constantly ever
since being put into operation about Oct. 1st.
Its performance thus far encourages the belief
that it will prove a very economical and practical type of machine to operate in the class
of material encountered in that locality.
This machine is one of the largest drag line
ever built and is digging in the hardest material and most severe conditions that a drag
line of this size has ever been subjected to
anywhere. The material is boulders cemented
tight into compact clay, and requires blasting.
The Wabigon overburden varies from 45 to
65 feet thick. The bucket will take a complete
cut from the miximum depth of 65 feet. The
present stripping program will call for the
removal of 2% million cubic yards of overburden. The drag line over cast area is
around the north and east sides of the Wabigon property, and about 750,000 yards will be
overcasted and a large yardage double over-
casted. The remainder will be loaded wth the
same machine but equipped with boom and
dipper as a regular shovel operation.
One advantage of this machine over the
usual type of shovel is the greatly increased
range of action. The point of boom swings
through a radius of approximately 155 feet
and the bucket can be thrown even some distance beyond that fixed swinging radius. The
total shipping weight was 326 tons and it required fourteen railroad cars to transport all
of the material from the factory at Marion,
Ohio, to the mine at Buhl, Minn.
The electrical equipment is of new and improved design and was thoroughly reviewed in
the Oct. 2nd issue of Skillings' Mining Review.
Otherwise the machine is identical in construction with the standard steam machines now
operating on the iron range. In addition to the
dragline boom and bucket a standard shovel
boom 80 ft. in length, together with a 54 ft.
dipper handle, and 8 cu. yd. dipper, were also
furnished, and these are to be used later on in
loading the ore after the machine has completed its present work of stripping overburden.
The Marion Company now has in operation
more than 50 of these large revolving shovels
and draglines of the Model 300 type. These
shovels are the largest and most powerful excavators built and have been the means of developing many valuable coal, iron and copper
properties. They are scientifically designed
for continuous heavy duty and are capable of
withstanding the severe service encountered in
heavy excavations.
Main Machinery.
The main machinery is mounted on an open
hearth cast steel frame set directly over, and
bolted to, the inner sills of the rotating frame.
The two 175 H. P.—60 minute rating motors
are located at each side of the hoisting machinery, and are compound geared to the
drums. The intermediate, or clutch, shaft is
located ahead of the motors and carries the
pinions for driving the hoisting and drag
drums, boom hoist drum and propelling mechanism. Clutches are provided for disengaging
the propelling mechanism and boom hoist drum
when not in use.
The drag drum is located ahead of the intermediate shaft and the hoist drum is located
above and back of this shaft. Both are
mounted in bronzed bushed bearings, and have
grooved barrels for the wire ropes. They are
actuated by frictions of the outside band type,
fitted with air operated cylinders attached to
the spokes of the gears. The friction bands are
lined with wood blocks and each is fitted with
a long threaded eye bolt, which seldom requires adjustment, as the long stroke of the
cylinder compensates for considerable wear.
Check bands are provided for controlling the
drums when the frictions are released. These
(Continued on Pag-e 5)
MARION 300 TON ELECTRIC DRAGLINE IN ACTION, STRIPPING WABIGON MINE.

SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING
rTTwVMHftlWfcli
VOLUME IX. No. 32
DULUTH, MINNESOTA, DECEMBER 25, 1920.
Copyright, 1920, by
SklllinKs' Mining; Review.
INDEPENDENT IRON ORE
OPERATORS TO CURTAIL
PRODUCTION THIS WINTER.
SCATTERING WAGE CUTS
All of the independent iron mining companies of the Lake Superior district are going
to curtail production this winter, and that will
mean that there will be decreased forces employed. Some mines will be closed down for
the winter, or until such time as conditions encourage resumption. As to the wage question,
there has been no general action. There have
been scattering announcements of reductions,
and it is expected that there will be others.
The curtailment of production, and the decrease of wages, are done with regret and only
when conditions make them necessary.
The operations of the independent iron and
steel companies are on a basis ranging from
40 to 60% furnace capacity. The average is
probably about 50%. Wages are being adjusted downward in the operations of the independent iron and steel industry, and it is expected that they cannot fail to be reflected
back to the mines. The iron miners of the
Lake Superior district have enjoyed high
wages for a long time. The wages have been
in advance of increased prices for ore as a rule.
There is every prospect that decreased costs
commodities will offset any general reduction
that may be made in miners' wages, so that
the loss will be more apparent than real. It is
hoped, and believed, by students of the situation in iron and steel, that there will be much
improvement by next spring.
Clement K. Quinn, Earl E. Hunner, Edward
J. Maney, Francis J. Webb and others have recently returned from the East. They agree
that the present outlook in the iron and steel
business is far from encouraging, but all take
a hopeful view of the outlook. Mr. Quinn
observes that stocks of iron and steel are low
and there is an apparent world shortage. Mr.
Maney is convinced the industry will recover
in a reasonably short time, with general improvement in business and industry. Mr.
Hunner regards the situation as bad, but one
that will be corrected in large measure with a
completion of the readjustment process now in
progress. Mr. Webb is hopeful that the next
few months will develop a much more cheerful
outlook.
H. S. Wollan, assistant general superintendent of the Great Northern, in charge of ore
traffic, has returned from the East, and says
that while it is the present outlook that the
ore movement will start out slow next spring,
that he would not be surprised to see the last
half of the season very active. This recalls
that it has often happened that the first half
of a season may be dull and the ore movement
slow, but the last half witnesses a rush of ore.
On the other hand, a season may start off with
a rush, and slow up around July, and continue
dull until the end. While many agree that
the ore movement next spring will be slow,
there are no predictions as yet that the entire
season will be without redeeming feature.
MICHIGAN MINERS TO VERMILION.
The Oliver Iron Mining company has given
employment to 50 of the miners recently laid
off in the copper country. These men have
been assigned to the mines at Ely, Vermilion
range, where the company was short of underground miners.
MECHANICAL DETAIL OF MARION 300 TON
ELECTRIC DRAGLINE AT THE WABIGON MINE
Great Machine Is Attracting Wide Attention While Engaged at Stripping Very Difficult Material—Its Performance Gives Promise of Proving That This Machine Is
Very Economical and Type to Operate in Overburden Such as Encountered at
This Property—This Description of the Mechanical Side of the Marion 300 Is
Sequel to the Electrical Description Oct. 2.
The Marion 300 Electric Dragline recently
installed by the Hanna Ore Mining Company
at its Wabigon mine near Buhl, Minn., is attracting more than ordinary attention. It has
been working steadily and constantly ever
since being put into operation about Oct. 1st.
Its performance thus far encourages the belief
that it will prove a very economical and practical type of machine to operate in the class
of material encountered in that locality.
This machine is one of the largest drag line
ever built and is digging in the hardest material and most severe conditions that a drag
line of this size has ever been subjected to
anywhere. The material is boulders cemented
tight into compact clay, and requires blasting.
The Wabigon overburden varies from 45 to
65 feet thick. The bucket will take a complete
cut from the miximum depth of 65 feet. The
present stripping program will call for the
removal of 2% million cubic yards of overburden. The drag line over cast area is
around the north and east sides of the Wabigon property, and about 750,000 yards will be
overcasted and a large yardage double over-
casted. The remainder will be loaded wth the
same machine but equipped with boom and
dipper as a regular shovel operation.
One advantage of this machine over the
usual type of shovel is the greatly increased
range of action. The point of boom swings
through a radius of approximately 155 feet
and the bucket can be thrown even some distance beyond that fixed swinging radius. The
total shipping weight was 326 tons and it required fourteen railroad cars to transport all
of the material from the factory at Marion,
Ohio, to the mine at Buhl, Minn.
The electrical equipment is of new and improved design and was thoroughly reviewed in
the Oct. 2nd issue of Skillings' Mining Review.
Otherwise the machine is identical in construction with the standard steam machines now
operating on the iron range. In addition to the
dragline boom and bucket a standard shovel
boom 80 ft. in length, together with a 54 ft.
dipper handle, and 8 cu. yd. dipper, were also
furnished, and these are to be used later on in
loading the ore after the machine has completed its present work of stripping overburden.
The Marion Company now has in operation
more than 50 of these large revolving shovels
and draglines of the Model 300 type. These
shovels are the largest and most powerful excavators built and have been the means of developing many valuable coal, iron and copper
properties. They are scientifically designed
for continuous heavy duty and are capable of
withstanding the severe service encountered in
heavy excavations.
Main Machinery.
The main machinery is mounted on an open
hearth cast steel frame set directly over, and
bolted to, the inner sills of the rotating frame.
The two 175 H. P.—60 minute rating motors
are located at each side of the hoisting machinery, and are compound geared to the
drums. The intermediate, or clutch, shaft is
located ahead of the motors and carries the
pinions for driving the hoisting and drag
drums, boom hoist drum and propelling mechanism. Clutches are provided for disengaging
the propelling mechanism and boom hoist drum
when not in use.
The drag drum is located ahead of the intermediate shaft and the hoist drum is located
above and back of this shaft. Both are
mounted in bronzed bushed bearings, and have
grooved barrels for the wire ropes. They are
actuated by frictions of the outside band type,
fitted with air operated cylinders attached to
the spokes of the gears. The friction bands are
lined with wood blocks and each is fitted with
a long threaded eye bolt, which seldom requires adjustment, as the long stroke of the
cylinder compensates for considerable wear.
Check bands are provided for controlling the
drums when the frictions are released. These
(Continued on Pag-e 5)
MARION 300 TON ELECTRIC DRAGLINE IN ACTION, STRIPPING WABIGON MINE.